Motoring: From the pod to the track: Pinoy gamers head to UK to train as real racing drivers

Three months ago, six Filipino gamers were merely demonstrating their racing skills in Gran Turismo (GT) gaming pods.

Now they have the chance to become real race car drivers as they head to the UK's best-known racing circuit, Silverstone, where they will be trained by some of the world’s top driving experts.

Over 15,000 virtual racers battled to become part of this select group since the Nissan GT Academy began its trials on March 25 this year.

Nissan Philippines president Antonio Zara admitted that he, too, joined the competition, but did not make the cut. “It was really difficult,” he said.

According to him, 30,000 trials were held over the last three months in Metro Manila, Bacolod, Cebu, Davao and Cagayan De Oro.

From the 15,000 entrants, the best 20 were chosen to undergo physical and driving challenges in a two-day event in Pasay City that culminated in the national finals on July 15.

From the 20 finalists, six were chosen for a chance to train at Silverstone starting in August: Rafael Miru Lesaguis, Luis Raphael Cachero, Terence Aldrich Lallave, Jose Gerald Policarpio, Daryl Brady, and Joel Agojo.

All six will compete against one another as well as against gamers from Thailand, India, Japan and Indonesia using actual race cars. The winner will compete in Dubai next year.

Zara told GMA News Online that the whole purpose of the competition is “to use virtual technology to look for the next Filipino racing star.”

“Motorsports is an expensive sports to get into and we felt that this would allow the average Filipino who aspires to be a racing star to see if he or she has what it takes to become a true racing professional,” he said.

The drive to succeed

The thousands who joined the Nissan GT Academy competition “came from all walks of life,” said Zara.

They were men and women in their 20s, 30s, and 40s, including a father who borrowed his son’s Playstation to train for the competition. He ended up in the top 20.

Filipino-Swiss racing driver Marlon Stockinger believes that the Filipinos who made it to the top six in the national finals are capable of competing with the world’s top racers.

A member of the prestigious Lotus F1 juniors team, Stockinger will be the six finalists' mentor, coach, and judge in the UK.

While he is looking forward to sharing his knowledge with them, Stöckinger said that “nothing beats the contestants’ determination and drive to succeed in this demanding sport.”

Jof Cox, a driving specialist from the Nissan GT Academy in the UK, has been going around Asia meeting the finalists who will be training at Silverstone. Asked what would be the most important advice he could give to aspiring race car drivers, Cox said it is to train oneself to look far ahead, an important trait that allows race car drivers to plan their moves.

Brady, a freelance graphic designer from Parañaque, said he was thrilled to be given the chance to become a real race car driver. He believes that despite Filipinos' generally shorter stature and smaller physique, they have the chance to excel at international racing because upper body strength is slightly more important than lower body strength in motor sports.

As long as Filipinos can develop their upper body strength, they will be able to handle race cars, he said.

In a brief speech congratulating the finalists, Stockinger urged Filipinos to keep chasing their dreams. "Bilis talaga ng Pinoy," he said. — BM, GMA News